The Gambia Press Union has said it has confirmed that the Office of the Director of Press and Public Relations (DPPR) at the Office of the President has required media practitioners to undergo screening at National Intelligence Agency – State Intelligence Services – as part of procedures for press accreditation to cover events at State House.
The secretary general of the union Saikou Jammeh in a statement on Wednesday said “the Union has briefly engaged the Office of the DPPR and has been assured that the measures are credible and are part of efforts to put in place a standard procedure for press accreditation.”
Jammeh said: “Notwithstanding, the GPU wishes to call on all media professionals to wait until the Union exhausts all consultations with a view to ensuring that the new measures do not compromise the freedoms and safety of media professionals. We will continue to engage the Office of the DPPR on this and other important matters.
“We commend the Office of the DPPR for the tremendous work that they are doing in creating an enabling environment for media professionals in the country.”
